


Mistletoe and Nutcrackers

by Kisses-sweeterthan-Wine (MoodyMuddy)



Category: Old Hollywood
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2019-04-25 23:42:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14389572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoodyMuddy/pseuds/Kisses-sweeterthan-Wine
Summary: A Christmas themed story involving MD & GG





	1. 1)

It was the sound of breaking glass mixed with panicked shouts coming from one of the other rooms in the store that had conversation dying and hundreds of pairs of eyes turning to stare at the spectacle of the ten foot high nutcracker soldiers toppling into each other, much like dominoes do, bringing down with them the rest of the cut glass and other expensive baubles and tree decorations. When the commotion of people running from the room had quietened down Marlene stepped forward and stared in surprise before having to try to hide the bubble of laughter in her throat at the scene before her; a solitary brunette stood in the center of the chaos, turning in a slow circle while uttering only one word, "Oops..". If it wasn't for the crimson stain on the brunette's pale skin she could see was colouring the other woman's face she'd have let loose with one of her loud infectious laughs, but as it was she merely grinned to herself and moved closer to see if she could help, narrowly missing the small child jumping around the room and the workers hurrying to tidy up the mess. Reaching the woman Marlene reached out a gentle hand and, with a smile, asked if there was anything she could do to help. The smile soon turned from warm and inviting to shocked; after years of not speaking to the one woman she would always love, here, in front of her was the very woman she still loved, Greta Garbo.

"Greta…", for a woman who could always find something to talk about for once she was at a loss for words. Greta though was not it seemed as she all but hissed out her words, "Miss Dietrich, vhat an unpleasant surprise..". Luckily her next words were cut off by the little tornado who nearly bowled them both over as he ran into the room with cries of "Aunt Greta!", closely followed by a slim brunette who was obviously the boy's mother. Backing away Marlene turned and left the room, then took the stairs quickly and left the building without a backward glance. It was at times like this she was even more grateful she could keep her feelings hidden, or at least she could until she was alone again in the nearest toilet cubicle. Exiting the restaurant some time later Marlene showed no sign of her distress at having been so frost bitten by the younger woman. Hailing a taxi she directed the driver towards first the hotel she had been staying at and then to the friends house she was spending Christmas at.

Huddled in her fur lined and trimmed coat there was excitement shining in those stormy blue-grey eyes as Marlene sat looking out of the window as the car she was travelling in through the frozen icy countryside sped her towards where her friends were spending Christmas; a country estate in Stockholm. Beside her on the seat of the car was two large carry cases containing presents and a special Christmas pudding that she had made from scratch for her friends.


	2. 2)

The sudden jolt as the car came to an abrupt halt had her snapping out of her reverie and looking round to the driver with surprised confusion on her face, this was not where they were going to stop. It was then the driver turned and tipped his cap to the blonde "sorry miss, there's a tree fallen and I can't get past. If you want to get to where you are going you will have to walk from here". Blinking she thought she had not heard right at first; walk, through the snow in a country she didn't know? Dismay flooded through her but then the thought of doing so was suddenly very appealing to her with its open spaces and crisp air. A change to being cooped up in buildings and cars and aeroplanes; she couldn't remember the last time she had been free to stretch her legs.

Climbing out of the car she nearly slipped on the ice and had to grab at the wing mirror to keep upright, much to the driver's amusement as he watched her through the window. Squaring her shoulders she got her footing again and, after taking hold of the two bags as well as the pudding, set off through the white world. Despite the too cold air whipping across the delicate snow and stirring it into a frenzied dance that dashed across her face as she walked, Marlene soon found a rare lightness within herself; a sense of peace that didn't exist for her normally what with living and working in Hollywood. Turning her head one way then the other she smiled to herself as she saw the flowers beneath the leaf canopy only for that peace to be shattered by the sudden screaming of what sounded like a woman. Startled she dropped her bags and whirled on the spot only to come nose to nose with an Elk. jumping backwards a step she lost her footing and slipped onto her ass on the ice covered forest floor, her swearing attracting the attention of the rest of the herd of Elk so that she found herself surrounded by the majestic animals. Throwing her hands up to try to shield her ears from the noise she tried to get to her feet but succeeded only in falling again, this time landing on her back on the edge of a pile of Elk poop. With disgust on her face Marlene quickly scrambled away then breathed a sigh of relief as the herd lost interest in her and moved away in the opposite direction. Finally getting to her feet she took a breath of the crisp air only to gag at the smell, she'd been hoping she'd missed the recent deposit by one of those animals. With no other choice she carried on with her packages through the thick snow drifts.

Just as she was giving up hope of ever reaching her friends estate so she stumbled upon a path running alongside a lake. Giving a smile of relief she paused for a moment to savour the view. Her friends had not spoken about a lake on the estate but then again they'd only moved in a short while ago so perhaps they didn't' realise it was there she thought to herself. Picking up her packages again as she turned to carry on her foot caught in a branch buried beneath the snow and she lurched forwards with a shrill shriek, an even more distressed shriek sounding in the white world as she saw the Christmas pudding she'd so lovingly made roll out of the bag and over to the lake before plopping into the water and bobbing merrily away on the currents in the water.

Picking herself up as she stared after the little object bobbing about on the water she gave a sad sigh, that pudding had taken months of work to make and now it was nothing more than bird food. Muttering to herself she didn't hear the voice behind her so that when the hand fell on her shoulder she jumped out of her skin and whirled on the spot, almost slipping yet again. Seeing Greta stood before her she almost died of mortification when she saw how that beautiful nose was wrinkled with disgust at the smell coming from the coat she wore. "Greta! I-I slipped and fell on some..well on something one of those beasts left behind" was her explanation she felt compelled to give even as her thoughts caught up with her, "What are you doing here?" was her question to the warmly dressed brunette. Her friends had certainly never spoken of even meeting the Swedish beauty let alone knowing her. "I could ask you the same thing Miss Dietrich! I live here and unless I am mistaken you live in America!".

Cocking a perfectly manicured brow in surprise Marlene swivelled her cobalt blue gaze first on the lake then around to the house, "I think I took a wrong turn.. I'm supposed to be at my friends house for Christmas", it was then, as she glanced back at Greta, she saw the slight softening of her expression. "Could I use your phone please? Maybe they can come and pick me up". Shaking her head and reluctantly giving a smile Greta sighed softly "No, they can't pick you up, the roads are blocked with snow and impassable. Nothing can get in or out until after Christmas now". Taking pity on the blonde who was obviously lost and more than obviously smelling of elk, Greta gestured to the house, "you'd best come inside Miss Dietrich, freshen up and make yourself comfortable in the spare room".


	3. 3)

The sudden jolt as the car came to an abrupt halt had her snapping out of her reverie and looking round to the driver with surprised confusion on her face, this was not where they were going to stop. It was then the driver turned and tipped his cap to the blonde “sorry miss, there’s a tree fallen and I can’t get past. If you want to get to where you are going you will have to walk from here”. Blinking she thought she had not heard right at first; walk, through the snow in a country she didn't know? Dismay flooded through her but then the thought of doing so was suddenly very appealing to her with its open spaces and crisp air. A change to being cooped up in buildings and cars and aeroplanes; she couldn't remember the last time she had been free to stretch her legs. 

Climbing out of the car she nearly slipped on the ice and had to grab at the wing mirror to keep upright, much to the driver’s amusement as he watched her through the window. Squaring her shoulders she got her footing again and, after taking hold of the two bags as well as the pudding, set off through the white world. Despite the too cold air whipping across the delicate snow and stirring it into a frenzied dance that dashed across her face as she walked, Marlene soon found a rare lightness within herself; a sense of peace that didn’t exist for her normally what with living and working in Hollywood. Turning her head one way then the other she smiled to herself as she saw the flowers beneath the leaf canopy only for that peace to be shattered by the sudden screaming of what sounded like a woman. Startled she dropped her bags and whirled on the spot only to come nose to nose with an Elk. jumping backwards a step she lost her footing and slipped onto her ass on the ice covered forest floor, her swearing attracting the attention of the rest of the herd of Elk so that she found herself surrounded by the majestic animals. Throwing her hands up to try to shield her ears from the noise she tried to get to her feet but succeeded only in falling again, this time landing on her back on the edge of a pile of Elk poop. With disgust on her face Marlene quickly scrambled away then breathed a sigh of relief as the herd lost interest in her and moved away in the opposite direction. Finally getting to her feet she took a breath of the crisp air only to gag at the smell, she’d been hoping she’d missed the recent deposit by one of those animals. With no other choice she carried on with her packages through the thick snow drifts. 

Just as she was giving up hope of ever reaching her friends estate so she stumbled upon a path running alongside a lake. Giving a smile of relief she paused for a moment to savour the view. Her friends had not spoken about a lake on the estate but then again they’d only moved in a short while ago so perhaps they didn't’ realise it was there she thought to herself. Picking up her packages again as she turned to carry on her foot caught in a branch buried beneath the snow and she lurched forwards with a shrill shriek, an even more distressed shriek sounding in the white world as she saw the Christmas pudding she’d so lovingly made roll out of the bag and over to the lake before plopping into the water and bobbing merrily away on the currents in the water. 

Picking herself up as she stared after the little object bobbing about on the water she gave a sad sigh, that pudding had taken months of work to make and now it was nothing more than bird food. Muttering to herself she didn't hear the voice behind her so that when the hand fell on her shoulder she jumped out of her skin and whirled on the spot, almost slipping yet again. Seeing Greta stood before her she almost died of mortification when she saw how that beautiful nose was wrinkled with disgust at the smell coming from the coat she wore. “Greta! I-I slipped and fell on some..well on something one of those beasts left behind” was her explanation she felt compelled to give even as her thoughts caught up with her, “What are you doing here?” was her question to the warmly dressed brunette. Her friends had certainly never spoken of even meeting the Swedish beauty let alone knowing her. “I could ask you the same thing Miss Dietrich! I live here and unless I am mistaken you live in America!”. 

Cocking a perfectly manicured brow in surprise Marlene swivelled her cobalt blue gaze first on the lake then around to the house, “I think I took a wrong turn.. I’m supposed to be at my friends house for Christmas”, it was then, as she glanced back at Greta, she saw the slight softening of her expression. “Could I use your phone please? Maybe they can come and pick me up”. Shaking her head and reluctantly giving a smile Greta sighed softly “No, they can’t pick you up, the roads are blocked with snow and impassable. Nothing can get in or out until after Christmas now”. Taking pity on the blonde who was obviously lost and more than obviously smelling of elk, Greta gestured to the house, “you’d best come inside Miss Dietrich, freshen up and make yourself comfortable in the spare room”. 

Since when had she ceased to be Lena, or even Marlene, to the brunette? With a glance at the house and a grateful smile she nodded, but before following she swallowed, “Greta.. Liebchen… please, call me Marlene if you won’t call me Lena”.   
For a moment those topaze coloured eyes stared at her with many different emotions moving through them until those wonderful Swedish tones finally cut through the silence with, “I don’t think that is appropriate, MISS Dietrich”, her emphasis on the ‘miss’. Hurt at the annoyed curt tones Marlene bit her bottom lip but said no more as she followed her ex girlfriend to the house. Stepping through the entryway she looked around with a smile on her face, Greta’s home was beautiful. Turning she was just opening her mouth to speak when Greta spoke again “leave your coat in the corner Miss Dietrich and my maid will vash it for you”. Turning on her heel the brunette then moved to the bottom of the stairs “then I vill show you vhere you can sleep tonight”. 

Confused at the warmth then ice queen stance Marlene, as she murmured to herself about being frostbitten indoors even more than she’d have been outside, did as she was bid then followed behind the brunette, her eyes openly admiring Greta’s rear as they climbed the stairs. Distracted by thoughts of sinking her teeth into those peachy cheeks Marlene didn’t realise in time they had stopped walking and crashed into the brunette, sending them both sprawling on the thick carpet, earning herself another cold stare before Greta turned then vanished into another part of the house. 

Shivering in the wake of Greta’s exit she turned and entered her room, a smile again lifting her lips as she noted the cushions and other soft furnishings in a room that was exquisitely decorated. Sitting on the bed with a relieved sigh at finally taking the weight off her feet she pulled off her boots one by one then jumped up again to find the bathroom, maybe the ice queen wouldn't mind if she had a shower? It troubled her as she went to find a bathroom how cold Greta was, she had not been that way back in Berlin, and that had been only seven years ago. Could the brunette have changed so much? Had she changed? Entering the large bathroom when she found it she slipped out of her clothes and left them in a pile outside the door while she stood under the shower and enjoyed the hot fragrant water pounding over her.

It was an hour or so later that she left her bedroom to go find out if meals were to be included as well, or if she could help out by doing the cooking herself. Going back downstairs she saw that her fur coat was gone from where she’d left it, then picked up on the most delicious of smells coming from somewhere. Following her nose she entered the large kitchen and stopped, in front of her was a large pan of whatever it was cooking but there was no one around. Tsking she moved toward the stove and found a wooden spoon to stir the mixture, only to jump and drop the spoon on the floor when, from behind her, she heard those same Swedish tones chastise her; “Miss Dietrich, there is no need to cook, I have paid help for that”.


	4. 4)

“Of course” was all she said, though her temper was starting to flair a little at the coolness towards her, she had not asked to stay after all and had only asked to use the phone. Crossing the room as she wiped her hands on a tea towel she let the maid tend to the dinner as she spotted the drinks cabinet in the corner. Turning her gaze back to the brunette she tried another smile, “how about a drink?”. Already on edge with Greta’s changable attitude to her she turned and was already picking up a couple of cut glass decanters when Greta nodded to the question, “make mine a vhiskey”. Looking up she nodded once then poured out the drinks and took them back to the table in the center of the kitchen. Passing one to Greta she smiled, “thank you for letting me stay here..liebling.. it is most helpful”, then she raised her own glass and sipped at the golden liquid inside. 

 

About to try to break the awkward silence Marlene was just opening her mouth to speak when the sudden barking from the dog made her jump out of her skin, the whiskey in her glass doing the same and soaking the table top. Apologetically as Greta got up to see to the animal Marlene used some tissue to dab at the table until the maid came in and saw to the mess herself, despite Marlene’s protestations that she wa more than able to clear up after herself. Losing the argument with the maid she wandered out of the kitchen to see where Greta was and noticed the front door was wide open. Going to stand in the doorway she watched the dog and the woman frlicking in the deep snow and laughed one of her infectious laughs, the sound making the brunette look round. Stepping out onto the wrap around porch Marlene smiled and stopped on the top step beneath the sprig of mistletoe hung there. 

 

Bounding past her with his tongue hanging out the dog took no notice of her, it was a different story though when Greta was stood just in front of her, those topaz eyes meeting her own “he likes it vhen we play in the snow” Greta offered then, this time a genuine smile lifting her lips as she spoke. It didn't matter to Marlene what the dog liked; at that moment, with that warmth touching those full lips and starting to warm those blue eyes she had never seen anyone so beautiful.


End file.
